How do we Shape the Natural World?

I was first introduced to the painting ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’ by Hieronymus Bosch in the documentary ‘Before the Flood’, Leonardo DiCaprio and Fisher Stevens. The painting consists of three panels, each portraying a different stage of human interaction with Earth. The first panel is Adam and Eve, surrounded by lush greenery and plentiful creatures. The second shows overpopulation and poor use of resources. As a viewer, it feels uncomfortable to look at due to the seemingly chaotic setting. The third and final panel is a burnt landscape overrun by fire and smog. It looks like Satan’s home.

Although this piece of art is just that, there is a reality behind it that is increasingly threatening to our world daily. This issue is commonly known as Global Warming or Climate Change. It is a man-made problem that many people refuse to believe in, despite the scientific evidence surrounding it. Climate change is the cause of carbon emissions (from fossil fuels in America mainly) being released into the atmosphere, thus resulting in a rise in air temperature as these gasses cannot be discharged into space. The outcome of this is masses of ice melting, sizeable flooding and drastic weather conditions. Hurricane Katrina tore through Florida in 2005, killing many people and causing billions of dollars in damage. (‘An Inconvenient Truth’, 0.25.46.) This is just one example of the extreme natural disasters occurring over the entire planet today. “The ten hottest years on record have all occurred in the last fourteen years.” (‘An Inconvenient Truth’, 0.28.54.) Due to human use of fossil fuels consistently increasing, we are putting ourselves and our planet in a position that we may not be able to reverse in years to come. “In 2040, you will be able to sail over the North Pole” (‘Before the Flood’, 0.15.02.) The astounding part about this issue is that politicians refuse to admit climate change is legit, because they are large recipients of fossil fuel money. Any American bill that would deal with this problem cannot be passed because congress is made up of 131 individuals who earn money through companies that contribute heavily to the core issue. (‘Before the Flood, 0.27.21.’)

Basically, the American government won’t acknowledge or positively impact global warming because they don’t feel as though they have to right now. However, the government always rally behind the majority of what the people want. Everyone can make simple changes to daily life that will make a phenomenal impact to improve the wellbeing of our planet, cutting back on beef consumption for example. The beef industry is a fairly large contributor to carbon emissions and this is because raising cattle at the rate people eat it is one of the most inefficient uses of resources on the planet. Cattle produce a powerful greenhouse gas called methane (CH4) through their waste which, when released at the current scale, is having a substantial negative result on our environment. Every molecule of methane is equivalent to twenty-three molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2), so although there is more CO2 in the atmosphere, CH4 is more toxic. Not only are the gas emissions from cattle stock a problem, but a vast amount of the Amazon rainforest has been cut down in order to grow cattle feed. “In the U.S. 47% of land is used for food production. 70% of that is just to grow feed for cattle … fruit, vegetables, nuts, is a percent (1%).” (‘Before the Flood’, 0.51.40.) This shows that we must cut back on beef consumption because not only would we reduce the amount of methane being released into the air, we could use all that land to feed more people. It does not seem debatable. Of course we would choose whatever feeds more individuals, right? Well, because so many people (mainly in America) eat beef, companies are making huge profits from us, therefore they can afford to continue this unethical cycle.

Another way we can fight climate change is by cutting back on our consumption of palm oil. This ingredient is often found in packaged foods and cosmetics because it is the cheapest vegetable oil in the world to grow and harvest. Many people unknowingly purchase palm oil in products and never take notice of where it comes from, when in fact the simple production of palm oil is destroying environments in Sumatra, Indonesia. The South East rainforest is being intentionally set alight to provide land for palm oil plantations. In 2015 a single forest fire would produce more carbon than all of the U.S. economy daily. (‘Before the Flood’, 0.48.49.) Not only does this release an astonishing amount of CO2 into the air, it destroys the habitats of many wild animals. It is the only place on Earth where tiger, elephant, orangutan, and rhinoceros can be found together in the wild. If this immense destruction continues, we will loose these animals and their homes. “The expansion of palm oil industry in Indonesia has taken over about 80% of our forests.” (‘Before the Flood’, 0.48.26.)

“While 98 percent of scientists are in firm agreement that human activity is the clear cause, well-funded groups persist in calling this a debate.” (Mirzoeff, 218.) It is absurd how this worldwide issue is constantly being avoided, yet the facts are clear. Thankfully there are people out there like DiCaprio and Bosch who have used their status to bring attention to climate change and the problems we face, not just for this generation but the future generations to come. Banksy, a famous street artist, is also known for bringing global concerns to light through his artwork (an example featured below). It is unfortunate that people overlook global warming, when all we need to do in hope of bettering our planet can be as simple a few dietary changes. We, as a species, are currently living in that second panel of ‘The Garden of Earthly Delights’. We are taking the way we shape our world for granted, and continuously abusing and overpopulating our surroundings. The human race needs to wake up and think about whether Earth should be returned to the state it was once in, or if we continue toward the path of the third and final panel. But ultimately, it is up to us.

Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, oil on oak panels, 1490-1510, Museo del Prado, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights

Banksy, I DON’T BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING, spray paint on wall, 2009, Camden, London, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/dec/21/banksy-copenhagen-regents-canal

Works Cited:

An Inconvenient Truth. Directed by Davis Guggenheim, performance by Al Gore, Paramount Classics, 2006.

Before the Flood. Leonardo DiCaprio, Fisher Stevens, performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, National Geographic, 2016.

Mirzeoff, Nicholas. How to See the World. Pelican Books, 2015.